Civil employees, lawmakers univocal on concluding Federal Civil Service Bill soon

Kathmandu- The civil employees and lawmakers have underlined the need for finalizing the proposed Federal Civil Service Bill by ensuring wider ownership of it.

Airing their voices at a programme entitled “Federal Civil Service Bill: A Dialogue Workshop” organised by the Nepal FM here today, the speakers argued it would be too late if the Bill was not forwarded on time. They were against any sort of unwanted hassles in advancing the document to a conclusion.

Giving his presentation on the issue, former secretary Gopinath Mainali said 1,583 proposals were reportedly registered to seek amendments to the Bill. It is pressing need to endorse the Bill promptly, he added. As per his evaluation, the Bill highlighted the need to acknowledge that the governance system has already switched to a federal structure and this shift should be reflected in the draft of the Bill.

He advised subjective criteria for the transfer of employees, equal treatment to all services instead of privileges to some specific services, training opportunities for all, a focus on career enhancement of employees, a liberal approach in the promotion system, and recognition of criticism or feedback of service recipients and seekers in the promotion of an employee. Professionalism, progressiveness, techno-friendly public institution and at least one year stay of an employee of special class in an office can build image of civil service, according to him.

In his view, present civil service seems more focused on the management of employees, so the issue of civic service management needs to be focus. “‘Golden definition’ of civil service employees warrants reflection in the federal document,” Mainali asserted. Compensation to a citizen who is denied services on time and to those coming up with genuine complaints of unsatisfactory service delivery could be new provisions in the Bill.

Trade unions’ role vital in civil service Trade union activists, including Janak Rawal, Lekhnath Koirala, and Prakash Rai, viewed whether the role of trade union movement is recognized in the Bill counts much. They expressed readiness to embrace any provisions aimed at systematising and regulating trade union activism through a healthy mechanism.

“We are prepared to correct any performance weaknesses among employees under the banner of trade unions,” they affirmed. Moreover, they called for due acknowledgment of local and provincial structures in the Bill to ensure widespread acceptance and advocated for boosting employee morale through the Act.

They advised the government to ensure that trade union leaders in the Civil Service fulfilled their duties and responsibilities through rules without marginalizing their roles. They called for establishing the civic-centric Civil Service and pledged cooperation with parliament for its reinforcement. The trade unionists argued that the Federal Civil Service Act would not gain widespread acceptance without acknowledging the presence of local and provincial levels.

They advocated for keeping the existing age limit (35/40 years) for civil service recruitment unchanged. On the occasion, lawmaker and former Minister Dilendra Prasad Badu urged the promotion of good governance in the civil service, emphasizing cleanliness, promptness, and impartiality. Ranju Kumari Jha, Deepa Sharma, and Thakur Gaire urged civil service employees to recognize their increased role in serving the citizens and states.

They said they were open to addressing issues of trade union rights in the Bill. The Bill is currently under discussion in the State Affairs Committee. Committee President Ramhari Khatiwada affirmed the commitment to addressing civil employees’ concerns to ensure the document’s wide acceptance. As he said, the Committee wants to make the document consolidated without making it confusing but substantial and acceptable. The event was supported by the UN Parliament Development Project.